


Moving On

by Antarc



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Fix-It of Sorts, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:33:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25900651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antarc/pseuds/Antarc
Summary: Steve hates Hawkins with a passion so strong he’s sometimes surprised people can’t read it from every silent line of his body.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 8
Kudos: 96





	Moving On

Steve hates Hawkins with a passion so strong he’s sometimes surprised people can’t read it from every silent line of his body. He’s probably just gotten really good at hiding it behind a goofy smile and wide-eyed, incomprehending stares. Nothing to see here, just an airhead. And to be fair, he didn’t always hate the place. Recent years have just continued to suck more and more of whatever childhood nostalgia it still held for him right out of it.

When he drives through the town center, all it reminds him of is spray-painting walls calling Nancy a slut. Getting beat up by Jonathan. His falling out with Tommy and Carol. How much of a tool he used to be, back when he was popular.

When he looks at the forest behind his house, all he can think of is finding monsters. In the Byers’ old house. In the storm shelter by Dustin’s house. Lurking in the forest, waiting for the smell of blood. Waiting for Will, preying on Barb. Feels the phantom grip of a nail-studded bat in his palms, trying to protect a bunch of kids in the scrapyard.

He can’t drive by the local farmer’s fields anymore without thinking of the tunnels that still stretch underneath for miles. Even in his car, he can still smell the musty, rotten smell of the Upside Down when he dwells too long on his memories.

And then there’s the corpse of the mall. He refuses to drive by it, takes the long way around even if it adds fifteen more minutes to his drive. Doesn’t touch that particular section of his memories at all.

On the better days, Steve doesn’t hate Hawkins as much as he’s come to in recent years, though. ‘Better’ is when he isn’t by himself- When he can share his shift with Robin and just feel like a relatively normal person. When he picks up Dustin and Max to drive them around town, to their nerd meeting, to the arcade. They’ll grow out of it soon, are bound to get their drivers license and their own cars. And he’ll be a bit more useless, once again.  
But he also picks up Billy. For his doctor’s appointments. For a run to the grocery store, because he’s moved into this crappy, government-paid apartment at the edge of town with no car.

They drive around a lot- before Steve’s shifts at Family Video, after his shifts. There’s nowhere to go in Hawkins, never really was. It’s not too bad, though, when you have company. It might even be bearable, when you can reach out and know the person in front of you has reached to you in return.

They go to the diner at the edge of town at 2am and link their ankles under the table. Share a serving of fries and drink too much coffee. Billy complains about the jukebox in the corner only playing country songs. Steve tells him that he doesn’t even notice. They smile, tentatively. Hold hands under the table.

He gets Billy the new Metallica album on tape- would have gotten him the vinyl instead, if he wasn’t painfully aware that Billy wouldn’t accept it.

Billy reads the title out loud.“Master of Puppets.” 

Starts laughing. Starts tearing up a little. Allows Steve to hug him. Allows himself to hug back.

When he takes Billy to the drive-in theater almost a year after Starcourt, they very carefully link their fingers together, hidden in the darkness of Steve’s car. Billy’s is still sickly pale, he needs to lie down a lot and can’t really drink or eat much. But he can get in Steve’s car. Every day.

They drive to Steve’s favorite lake, almost an hour away from Hawkins in the middle of July. It’s stupidly humid, but the weather report promised clear skies and so they spend the entire day either in the water or lying down at the shore. Close, close enough that when they both turn their heads, the tips of their noses touch. Their hands meet. Their lips.

It’s like the summer sun ignites Billy. Right in front of Steve’s eyes, he grows stronger, more assured, more lively with every day. Not quite the same person as he was before. They’e both lost a lot of themselves to Hawkins.  
They play Black Sabbath and Whitesnake, loud enough to make the walls rattle and wear out the tape on all of Billy’s Metallica albums until Steve buys him new ones.

The first time they get drunk, after Billy’s doctors have told him he’s mostly fine to drink, they barely make it through a sixpack before Billy drapes himself all over Steve. Presses him into the couch of Steve’s living room, with the widest grin on his face. Peppers his cheeks and neck with kisses. Mumbles a wondering “You have so many moles,” into Steve’s throat, before he drops off to sleep on his chest. It makes something warm, yet almost painfully tender bloom in his throat. Makes him feel lucky and grateful.

Those are the good days. The ones where Hawkins is nothing but a backdrop, its shittiness offset by its growing insignificance. It gives Steve the courage to take Billy’s hands in his, on a sunny autumn day when the leaves are bright yellow and dark red against a blue sky. They’re up at the quarry, to celebrate another milestone in Billy’s recovery: He’s no longer confined to reporting back to the lab. And it makes something well up in Steve that has been a warm trickle for a while, overflowing now that they’re here. There’s hope. For both of them.

Before he can open his mouth, though, Billy beats him to it. “We’re leaving, aren’t we?” Like it’s already decided. Like he was simply waiting for Steve to catch up.

They’ve been ready for a long time, to leave Hawkins behind.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are very much appreciated 💕


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